Swedish police have arrested a 38-year-old man suspected of a series of shootings of people with minority ethnic backgrounds in southern Sweden, officials said today.

Investigators said the man, who was not identified, was taken into custody on Saturday on suspicion of murder and attempted murder.

Police have previously said they believe a lone gunman is responsible for more than a dozen unsolved shootings in which one person died and eight were wounded in the city of Malmö since October last year. The victims - nearly all with immigrant backgrounds - have been shot at bus stops, in their cars, and through the window of a gym.

In a brief statement, police said the arrest was "linked to the shootings that have happened in Malmo recently". Police spokeswoman Sofie Osterheim told Associated Press that police suspect he is the "serial shooter" behind the string of unsolved attacks.

More information was expected at a news conference in Malmö later today.

While investigators will not speculate on the motive, Swedish media have drawn parallels to a racist gunman who terrorised immigrants in the capital, Stockholm, in the early 1990s.

Dubbed "the laser man" because of the laser sight he used in some shootings, John Ausonius evaded capture for nearly a year. Once caught, he was convicted of one murder and nine attempted murders and is now serving a life term at a high-security prison.